1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for producing a plurality of separate components in general, and to a process for producing small glass plates, for example windows for optical components, in particular.
2. Description of Related Art
Glass is suitable for use as a contact material or covering material in many application areas. However, glass is difficult to machine, which is disadvantageous in particular if very small components, such as for example windows for optical caps, are to be produced.
Conventional glass-machining techniques, such as scoring and breaking, are difficult to use for such applications, on account of the component size. Furthermore, the above mentioned techniques require subsequent edge machining, which may under certain circumstances have to be carried out individually, which entails considerable costs.
In order nevertheless to keep the costs of these processes within acceptable limits, it is typical to work using a stacked assembly. In this case, a plurality of optical components are combined to form a stack and drilled. One drawback is that the edges still have to be machined in a separate working step. The joining of the layers is usually carried out using wax or other adhesive substances.
Although the stacking on the one hand reduces costs, the use of the joining materials causes contamination which has to be removed again by complex cleaning processes, which on the other hand forces the costs up again.
In practice, yet another difficulty has manifested itself, which not only makes the process expensive but also considerably impairs the quality of the products. This difficulty is that during the cleaning of the glasses so as to remove the adhesive substances, relative movements occur between the glasses, which often leads to scratches in the surface.
This is particularly disadvantageous if glasses with a high-quality and expensive coating are being processed.
One such example which may be mentioned is a complex antireflection coating having a multiplicity of extremely thin layers of various types. This is because under certain circumstances these coatings are particularly susceptible to scratches, on account of their mechanical properties.
With conventional processes, therefore, there is an interactive relationship between contradictory demands on cost efficiency and quality.